When you hear the term “kissing bugs,” you might picture benign or even appealing insects.
Zoey Charles, ’27, commented, “When I heard the term ‘kissing bug,’ I originally thought it was like a sickness you get from kissing other people.”
In reality, these bugs, scientifically known as Triatominae, carry the parasite that causes Chagas disease. This disease originated in Latin America back in 1909, discovered by a Brazilian physician, Carlos Chagas.
According to Uclahealth.org, they are only called “kissing bugs,” because they transfer the parasite by “kissing,” a better term for biting, a person’s face in their sleep.
When the bug bites human skin, it also defecates, which is how the parasite, called Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), gets deposited.
The disease enters the person’s bloodstream when the person scratches a seemingly normal, itchy bite and rubs the parasite into the site of injury.
The parasite can also enter the body through contaminated food and blood, as well as if T. cruzi is wiped into your eyes, nose, or mouth. To make matters worse, the bugs simply prefer to bite humans; they are capable of biting rodents, and even dogs and cats.
Symptoms of Chagas disease match up with those of the flu, which is why it’s hard to spot. Some of the common ones are headaches, bodyaches, a fever, constant tiredness, and even vomiting.
Cdc.gov states that there are about eight million people in the world who suffer from the disease, with no knowledge of it. Out of that absurd statistic, 280,000 are estimated to be in the United States (US).
The sooner the disease is identified, the easier it is to treat; however, the longer it harms your body, the harder it is to treat and the more problems it develops. This disease might lead to severe heart and digestive issues.
These bugs have been identified in 32 states already, making their way through the nation from the southern US.
Clara Ozkul, ’27, shared, “Honestly, when I found out that kissing bugs were spreading globally, it scared me because I hate bugs in general, and to find out that these things hide in beds, couches, and they carry deadly diseases made me want to move to another country.”
Kissing bug sightings in Pennsylvania are rare since these bugs prefer warmer climates, but there have been reports within the state. Keep a lookout for this nasty species and stay safe.